Blekinge (Sweden)

The flag of Blekinge is a banner of the arms of the province, and it is the same as the flag (and arms) of the modern administrative area County of Blekinge. The borders of the landskap (province) and the län (county) are approximately the same.

A seal for Blekinge from the 15th Century shows a hill surrounded by the sea and with trees growing on the hill. This is probably the origin of the arms. Blekinge was conquered from Denmark in 1658, and its arms were first displayed in 1660, on the funeral of King Carl X Gustaf (Charles X Gustavus). The three crowns are from the Swedish state arms.

In earlier days, the tree in the arms could sometimes be seen as growing up from a small hill, but from 1884 it has been displayed as it is now. In the latest revised grant, on the 14 September 1944, the tree was blazoned as an oak, but as the oak is a very common tree in Blekinge, it had been interpreted as an oak even before this.

Sources:
· C. Nevéus/B.J. de Wærn: Ny svensk vapenbok, 1992 [nev92]
· C.G.U. Scheffer: Svensk vapenbok för landskap, län och städer, 1967 [sch67]

Elias Granqvist, 27 September 2000

Official Blazon in Swedish

I blått fält en ek med tre kronor uppträdda på stammen, allt av guld.

Blazon in English

Azure, an Oak Tree eradicated Or ensigned with three Crowns palewise of the same.
English blazon by Željko Heimer, 30 September 2000

Notes:

"Eradicated" is the blazon that roots of a tree are visible.
Željko Heimer, 07 October 2000

In Swedish heraldry, a tree is always supposed to be eradicated (with its roots showing) unless otherwise stated in the blazon. Therefore, there is no word in the official Swedish blazon for the arms of Blekinge corresponding to the word eradicated.
Elias Granqvist, 07 October 2000